an historic ypsilanti african-american neighborhood

Newspaper Articles on the First Ward School

First Ward School. Ypsilanti Historical Society.

This page contains original, scanned newspaper articles covering the period from 1865 until 1920 concerning Ypsilanti’s First Ward School. The language and content of these stories, taken directly from period newspapers, is sometimes derisive and racist. Though the articles are presented without commentary, readers are asked to pay attention to how reporting in the local press changes as the years progress and the gains won in the Civil War era are overturned. While many of these clippings are simply notices or seemingly minor, together they tell a grand story of the life of the community.

The newspapers were accessed through microfilm at various libraries and archives. The Ypsilanti Public Library, The Ypsilanti Historical Society, The Library of Michigan as well as Eastern Michigan University’s Halle Library all have Ypsilanti newspapers. They include:

Ypsilanti True Democrat, 1864-1865. Changed to Ypsilanti Commercial in 1865 and published, with some interruptions, until 1900.

Ypsilanti Sentinel published from the 1840s until it merged to form the above Commercial in 1865.

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A.P. Marshall Oral History Archive

Please visit the new A.P. Marshall Digital Oral History Library sponsored by the Ypsilanti District Library comprising nearly fifty historic interviews recorded by A.P. Marshall in the 1980s of African-American Ypsialntians.

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South Adams Street @ 1900 was created by Matthew Siegfried as a Masters project of Eastern Michigan University's Historic Preservation Program. Readers are encouraged to write with any questions or additions. Walking tours and presentations are available.

A new page, Passing On, presents dozens of obituaries, death notices and articles on Ypsilanti African Americans from the Civil War until around 1920. It can be found under the Contexts tab and in the Newspaper section.